Wall bed construction



V. M. FRIEDE WALL .BEb CONSTRUCTiON Dec. 10,1940.

Filed Aug. 11, 1958 3 SheetsSheet l Iddkzir J fifriecl k 9 ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 10, 1940. vi M. FRIEDE WALL BED CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 11, 1938 3Sheets-Sheet 2 w x X x INVENTOR. dzmerM Ebede ATTORNEYS.

3 Shgets-Shet 3 INVENTOR. d/IZ Li M Fraeale BY 2,222 9 7 ATTORNEYS V. M.FRIEDE WALL BED CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 11, 1938 Dec. 10, 1940.

IIIHE "/6395 Patented Dec. 10, 1940 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALLBED oo'ss'raucrion Vladimir M. Friede, Orleans, La. Application August11, 1938, Serial 3101224309 8 Claims. (01. -9)

This invention relates generally to wall constructions for supportingdisappearing beds, and particularly beds of the type which swing into arecess within a wall with the bottom of the 5 bed closing the recess andlying substantially flush with the wall surface. My wall construc+ tionis adapted particularly to installation in staterooms aboard ship or inPullman sleeping cars, but may be used in any other places where spaceis at a premium and it is necessary to utilize all that is available.

While disappearing or wall beds are well-known in the art, their use hasalways been accompanied by a waste of valuable space beneath the bedcompartment, and accordingly, one phase of my present invention isdirected towards the utilization of this ordinarily wasted space.

I accomplish this by so constructing the wall in which the bed is housedas to provide a storage compartment beneath the bed compartment.

This storage compartment serves as a linen closet or the like. providedwith any desired number of shelves. It

desired, it may open into the room beneath the.

berth. There are advantages however in having the storage compartmentopen into a passageway between sections of staterooms or into corridors,and it is so shown herein. v

Another phase of my present invention is dirested to securing the effectof surface continuity in respect to the front wall or panel ofthe-stonage compartment and the bottom of the bed when closed into thesuperadjacent bed compartment of the wall. I accomplish this by locatingthe front wall or panel in substantial continuation of the bed bottomwhen closed and by so constructing and arranging the hinges which earrythe bed into and out of the bed compartment that they are entirelyconcealed from view when the bed is closed and substantially concealedwhen the bed is open.

According to this phase of my invention, the

hinges are constructed as arcuate members which are pivoted at theirinner 'ends to a channel member which extends longitudinally of the bedcompartment adjacent the front lower edge thereof in substantialcontinuation of 'the front wall of the storage compartment. This channelmember masks the space between said front wall and the bottom of the bedwhen the bed is closed and conceals the hinge connections.

. fords a rigid stable support for sustaining the weight of the bed whenopen and occupied.

A further phase of my invention is directed to the utilization of theside and end rails of It may be suitably partitioned and It also afthebed as means for holding the bedding securely in position on the bedwhen the bed is closed and swung up into the bed compartment. Iaccomplish this by constructing the side and end rails of the bed asfolding and/or telescopic members which when the bed is opened and saidrails areerected constitute guard rails for the occupant but which whenthe bed is closed and said rails are collapsed constitute retainingmeans for the bedding.

- For the purposes of this application, .I have illustrated my inventionas applied. to a stateroom enclosure although it will be understood thatit is not restricted to such use.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig; 1 is a vertical sectionthrough a stateroom enclosure and berth orbed according to my invention, the bed being shown in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section at right angles to Fig. 1, the bed andassociated parts being closed, and also illustrating the utilization ofthe space beneath the bed recess as a storage compartment.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.,2 but showing the bed and associatedparts in open position 1 ready for use.

illustrating the mannerin which the bed hinges are mounted and maskedfrom View; the parts being shown in their closed position in full linesand in their open position in dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectlon'through the bed carrying wall andadjacent parts, the bed being shown in open position with the head andlee rails lowered and fastened together to hold the bedding in placewhen the bed is swung upwardly into its recess.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5 showing in full lines theraised position of the front lee rail and in dotted lines the loweredposition thereof, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section showing in full lines the head rails andthe .back lee rail latched together, and in dotted lines the back leerail in lowered position.

Referring to Fig. 1 I have illustrated a stateroom enclosure comprisingvertically alined transversely extending top and bottom channel membersI and 2 and vertically alined longitudinally extending top and bottomchannel members 3 and 4. The top members i and 3 are adapted to befastened in any desired manner to deck beams or the like (not shown) andthe bottom members 2 and 4 are adapted to be fastened in any desiredmanner to a suitable floor surface 5.

The oppositely facing channels of the members I and 2 receive and retainthe upper and lower edges of transversely extending partition panels 6and I. These panels may be sectional and at desired intervals may bekeyed in vertically disposed channel posts extending between the membersl and 2. As shown in Fig. 5, the panel I is sectional and one sectionthereof is keyed in the forward channel post 8 and another section 10 Iis keyed in the alined rear channel post 9.

The upwardly facing channel of the bottom member 4 receives and retainsthe lower edge of a longitudinally extending front masking panel ID. Theupper edge of said panel III is received and retained in the channel ofa forwardly positioned longitudinally extending channel member II whichis vertically alined with the bottom member 4 and may be supported atits ends by the forward channel post 8 and an oppositely disposedchannel post 24, said posts being carried by a forwardly positioned pairof upright angle irons l2 extending vertically from top to bottom of thestateroom enclosure. 7

Overlying the channel member H but vertically spaced therefrom adistance slightly greater than the width'of the swinging bed B is asecond member or rail l3 defining the upper "forward edge of the bedrecess.

This rail I3 is carried by the top channel member 3 and constitutes alimiting stop for the outer edge of the bed frame when the bed is swungupwardly about the member II as a fulcrum and into the opening definedby the spaced members H and I3. In such position, the bottom of the 85bed lies substantially fiush with the panel In as appears in Fig. 2. r

-The members H and I3 are laterally spaced apart from a pair ofrearwardly positioned longitudinally extending channel members [4 and 40IS a distance slightly greaterthan the depth of the bed to be receivedin the bed recess defined by said series of members. The members l4 andI5 are themselves disposed in vertically spaced alinement and may besupported at their ends by a rearwardly positioned pair of upright angleirons l6 extending vertically from top to bottom of the stateroomenclosure.

The bed recess is lined with a housing I! for the bed, and is closed atits back by a longitudinally extending masking panel l8, the upper andlower edges of which are received and retained in'the oppositely facingchannels of the members 14 and I 5.

The space beneath the bed housing is utilized as a storage compartmentI9 which may be partitioned or shelved as at 20. This space is masked atits front by the panel l0. At its rear it may be open and provided withany sliding or folding door or doors 2!. If desired, the front panel l0may be provided with a door and another panel similar to the backpanel[8 may be placed over the open back of the compartment IS.

The back panel l8 may be sectional, and if so,

the panel sections may be keyed at suitably spaced intervals in thealined channels of vertically disposed panel posts 22 (see Fig. 5). Thevertical edges of the endmost panel sections are keyed in the alinedchannel of vertically dis 70 posed channel posts 9 and 23. Otherchannels of the posts '9 and 23 receive and retain forwardly projectingend-masking panels I. and 24 at the respective ends of the bed housing.

The forward edge of the masking panel 1' is received in the same channelpost '8 which re- 5 ceives the adjacent edge of the alined partition 3|for the bottom of my bed or berth B, when panel 1, and the forward edgeof the masking panel 24 is received in the channeled post 24'.

The forwardly positioned pair of angle irons l2 occupy the spacesbetween the end-masking panels 1' and 24 and the forward edges of the 5end wallsof the bed housing. The rearwardly positioned pair of angleirons l6 occupy the spaces between the channel posts 9 and 23 and theback corners of the bed housing.

Surmounting the channel rail H (see Fig. 4) 10 and extendingsubstantially in vertical continuation thereof is a channel beam 25covered by a flanged facing 26 carried by the panel 10.

Bolted or otherwise fastened to the inner face of the beam 25 atsuitably spaced intervals are L-shaped brackets 21 to which are pivotedas at 28 the inner ends of aseries of arcuate hinge members 29.

The outer ends of said hinge members are spot welded or otherwisefastened in the inwardly 20 facing channel of a channel bar 30 which issecured in any desired manner to the inner edge of the bed. The channelbar 30 is slightly ofiset with respect to the channel beam 25 and withit forms a mask concealing the hing members. 25

If desired. the bottom surface 3| of the bed, which itself constitutes afinishing panel element, may be extended over the bar 30 as anornamental trim or molding 32. Preferably the bar 30 has a projectingflange 33 adapted when 30 the bed is closed to abut the channel beam 25and limit the inward movement of the bed.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the finishing panel the same is in its wallcompartment or housing 35 I1, lies substantially, flush with thesubjacent wall panel l0, extending outwardly therefrom only the depth ofthe decorative finishing moulding, and only the escutcheon 34 for thethreeway latching mechanism 35, more particularly shown in Fig. 6, beingvisible.

When the bed is opened, as in Fig. 3, it is supported by the hinges 29and by the articulated suspension brackets 363!. The inner ends of thebracket sections 36 are pivoted as at 38 to the inner sides of the endwalls of the bed housing. The outer ends of the bracket sections 31 arepivoted as at 39 to the ends of the bed frame. and the respectivebracket sections are pivoted to each other as at 40. When th bed isswung on its hinges into its housing, the brackets move from the bedsuspending position shown in Fig. 3 to the folded position of Fig. 2.

The bed comprises the bottom finishing panel 3| which maybe transverselyreinforced by channel members 4!, the end rails 43, front-rail 44, andthe channelled back rail comprising the spaced walls 45 and 46. Withinthe bed frame so formed may be placed the spring, mattress and otherbedding.

To the bed'frame are attached the means for keeping the bedding inproper position as the bed is swung into and out of its housing. Thesecomprise the front lee rail 41, the back lee rail 48, and the headand'foot rails 49. These rails when erected define the area within whichthe occupant reclines when the bed is in use, and are Y adapted to swingdown over the bedding to hold it in place when the bed is within itshousing.

and -to permit the bed to enter its housing.

The head rails 49 are hinged to the head and foot of the bed frame byhinges 50. The back lee rail 48 is similarly hinged to the back wall ofthe bed by hinges 5|. The head rails 49 and the back lee rail 48 areeasily raised to erect together over position and are locked in suchposition by swinging latches 52 pivoted as at 53 to the head and footrails, and which swing intolatching engagement with the back lee rail bypassing the latches through the opening 54 therein, as shown in Fig. 7.

The front lee rail 41 is a U-shaped member having spaced side arms 41'and a connecting member 410.. The side arms extend through openings 55into the space between the two front walls 45-46 when the bed is open,and have hooks 56 on their lower ends which hook over the inturnedflanges 51 on the top of the openings 55 when the bed is closed and thelee rail ll is pulled up and flattened down over the bed, as shown inFigs. and 6.

In preparing the bed to be swung into the wall housing, the head andfoot rails 49 are easily swung on their hinges 50 down over the beddingand the back lee rail is similarly swung on its hinges so that its endsoverlie the rails 49, as shown in Fig. 5. The front lee rail 41 is nextraised up out of the recesses between the front walls 45-46 and is swungdown over the bed with its hooks 56 gripping the inturned flanges 5'! ofthe openings 55 as shown in Fi 6. Then the front and back lee rails arefastened the bed by the strap 58, which, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5,passes through guides 59 secured to the back of the back lee rail 48,around the cross bar 41a. of the front lee rail 41, and buckles as at60.

When the bed is closed into its recess, its outer edge 6! abuts themember 13 (see Fig. 2) to assist in limiting its closing movement.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Wall bed construction comprising a wall having a bed receiving recessin the upper portion thereof, a bed adapted to be swung into andsuspended outwardly of said recess, a beam supported on said wallbeneath said recess and closing the lower portion of said recess, hingessecured at one end to said bed and at their opposite end pivotallyconnected to said beam-within said recess, said hinges overlying saidbeam and said bed being suspended from said hinges when in loweredposition, said hinges lying beneath the bed within the portion of saidrecess-closed by said beam and said bed having a bottom member closingsaid recess above said beam when saidbedisinsaid recess.

in open position,

2. The wall bed construction of claim 1 and a reinforcing rail on saidwall beneath said beam.

3. The wall bed construction of claim 1, said wall beneath said beamhaving a facing flange extending upwardly over and masking said beam.

4. The wall bed construction of claim 1, there being L-shaped bracketsextending from the inner face of the beam to which the hinges arepivoted.

5. The wall bed construction of claim 1, there being a channel barsecured to the bed side facing said recess when the bed is lowered, theends of said hinges being fast in the channel of said bar. v

6. The wall bed construction of claim 1, there being a channel barsecured to the bed side facing said recess when the bed is lowered, theends of said hinges being fast in the channel of said bar,'said barbeing slightly offset with respect to the outer surface of said beam,and

side panels, top and bottom panels, said panels forming a wall recess, awall terminating beneath said recess, a beam supported on said wall, arecess closing panel, hinges secured at one end to said closing paneland at their oppo- 7 site end pivotally connected to the inside of saidbeam, said hinges overlying said beam and said panel being supported bysaid hinges when in open position, said hinges lying within said recesswhen said closing panel is in closed positlon.

8. Wall construction comprising a back panel, side panels, top andbottompanels, said panels forming a wall recess, a wall terminating be- .neathsaid recess and a beam supported on said wall and closing the lowerportion of said recess, a recess closing panel, hinges secured at oneend to said closing panel and at their opposite' end pivotally connectedto the inside of said beam, said hinges overlying said .beam and saidpanel being supported by said hinges when said hinges lying within saidrecess and hidden by said panel when said closing panel is in closedposition.

VLADIMIR M. FRIEDE.

